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Build Your Legs

Use circuit training to whip your lower half into shape

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by John Romaniello

Most guys neglect their legs in favor of more chest and arm workouts. If you want to run down the beach on more than a pair of toothpicks this summer, we’ve got a routine that will bring your legs up fast. HOW TO DO ITCIRCUIT A: Immediately after your second set of the barbell squat (exercise 1), perform the jump squat for 60 seconds.

1) Barbell squat, 2 sets of 5 reps (rest 60 sec. in between)

2) Jump squat, as many as possible in 60 seconds (rest 60 sec.)

3) Barbell squat, 1 set of 5 reps (no rest)

4) Jump squat, as many as possible in 45 seconds

Rest 90 seconds and repeat the circuit once more. *For the jump squat, simply squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and jump as high as you can.

*For the barbell calf raise, rock back on your heels and then use the momentum to come up on your toes.HOW IT WORKS By alternating a heavy exercise with an explosive one, you create an effect called post-activation potentiation. The heavy lift recruits a lot of muscle fibers, and the explosive one done immediately after allows for even better muscle activation on the next heavy set. In just a few sets and a few minutes, you can stimulate as many muscle fibers as you normally do in much longer leg workouts. In addition, the combo of strength and power you’ll build will help improve sprinting speed and jump height.